Raye makhfi (2001)

A female election agent and a gun-toting soldier try to collect votes among the local islanders with mixed success.

Director:

Babak Payami

Writers:

Mohsen Makhmalbaf (original idea), Babak Payami

Stars:

Nassim Abdi, Cyrus Abidi, Youssef Habashi

10 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Nassim Abdi	...	Girl
Cyrus Abidi	...	Soldier
Youssef Habashi
Farrokh Shoja
Gholbahar Janghali

Storyline

A soldier stationed on a deserted beach wakes up and discovers that it's not going to be an ordinary day: there are the elections, but nobody seems to know anything about them. Just as an electoral urn is being parachuted from the sky, a young woman disembarks on the beach. To the soldier's bafflement, it turns out that she is in charge of the mobile electoral seat and voting on the islands; therefore the soldier is obliged to obey her orders and escort her with his rifle and army jeep across the desert, where the woman obstinately intends to collect the votes. During the day, stressed by a series of absurd events, the two learn to get to know each other. At sunset, when the young woman leaves, the man realizes that the secret vote contained much more than he had ever imagined.

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Plot Keywords:

looking at oneself in a mirror | vote | election | beach | election agent | 

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Taglines:

In Iran, This Election Day was just the beginning...

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

sourehcinema

Country:

Iran Italy Canada Switzerland

Language:

Persian

Release Date:

26 October 2001 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Bulletin secret

Filming Locations:

Kish Island, Iran

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,609, 11 August 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$114,183, 13 October 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Payam Films,Fabrica,Sharmshir

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Payami has a pronounced use of long shots (avoiding close-ups in favor of vistas, framing people and sights at a distance) and long takes with shooting scenes continuously for three minutes or more. This directly impacts upon the mood in the film.

User Reviews

Not really a comedy, but really worth seeing!

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Red-125 Upstate New York

Date: 12 May 2003 Summary: Not really a comedy--democracy starts here.

Secret Ballot [Raye makhfi (2001)]is another Iranian film about a strong, determined young woman. As written and directed by Babak Payami, the film is far more than a comedy. This movie takes us through a day on an almost- deserted island, where two bored soldiers are stationed on the beach to watch for smugglers.

Suddenly a large box is dropped by parachute. Inside are a ballot box and orders directing the soldiers to accompany and assist an election agent. The soldier--played well by Cyrus Abidi--is astonished when he learns the agent is a woman.

Nassim Abdi, who plays the agent, has a difficult part, made more difficult by the fact that she must communicate her emotions to the viewer while swathed in the forbidding garments required for women--even election agents-- in this Muslim land.

The plot of the film involves the interaction between the agent and the potential voters she meets on the island, as well as her interaction with the young soldier.

The Secret Ballot is an intensely moving, sometimes humorous, sometimes sad movie. Secret Ballot is not your lightweight Hollywood road movie. It is a glimpse into another culture, and into the hearts and minds of two people who are doing their best to lead moral and productive lives in a situation where this goal is not easy to accomplish.